ANOTHER JESUS

In today’s world our lives often centers around the many choices we have. I remember when we came back from Germany; Karen, the kids, and I went up to New Jersey to visit Karen’s wonderful dad, mom, brothers, and her sister. Well, one day we went to the Path Mart with Mom Kreiss and I was asked to go select a salad dressing, pretty simple right? Well not so simple if you have been use to a selection of three or four choices. I turned the corner on the salad dressing aisle and saw a sea of choices. I could not believe the number of different salad dressings I could choose from. It almost became overwhelming, but I struggled through it and selected ranch. I never forgot the view of cascading colors and labels in the 100 foot long, six feet high aisle. Sadly the Christian world often is like the salad dressing aisle we have so many different types of churches and denominations to choose from. If we do not like this church we can just simply go to another, who cares what the Holy Spirit wants. In Kenya they have a term called “churching” to explain the constant shuffling from church to church while warming their hands at others fires. But even sadder with each different church or denomination also comes another Jesus. Just by common sense one would have to know they all cannot be preaching and teaching the same message; there must be a different slant, a different understanding, a different doctrine and with each difference comes another Jesus. I really believe the denominational infighting, confusion, and deception has done more damage to the Body of Christ than Satan. Satan has been defeated, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15), but the willful spreading of outright lies and half-truths (which are also lies) for the sake of money, power, control, and authority by the denominations or non-denominations (large fellowship groups with churches around the world) to further their agenda and doctrine (because everyone else is wrong) on the earth are sharing another Jesus.

Paul had to deal with this destructive, deception at the Church at Corinth. Paul shares, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) The Gospel messages as is our walk with the Lord is simplistic and if we make it anything more than what the Bible says it is we are getting over into presumption (very dangerous) and deception. The message, the Gospel message is: the death, burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the message of the cross, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-18), but this message is not popular with the nominal church collectively and most denominations and non-denominations today, oh no, it is all about them and their special twist or slant to the word of God or some special revelation God has given just them. To them all I say shame on them and ichabod – the glory has departed.

There must be a coming together in the essentials of God. In Ephesians Paul sets the standard for Christian commonality and brotherhood being “one.” “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:2-5) How do we miss this? Could it be we have failed to meet the requirement of “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” by wanting our way and not God’s way and our revelation and not God’s revelation? Or maybe we have failed to keep the absolutes absolute and the optionals optional. The absolutes is the Gospel message, the message of the cross (death to our selfishness and self-life), holiness (without having no man shall see God), faithfulness, commitment, perseverance, obedience to God these are the absolutes. The optionals are all of our feeble religious practices we do to try to reach a holy God, things we have done in the past that worked somewhat so we keep doing them in hope God can be found. Or things that have been handed down to us in ritual worship and if not done God will not honor our worship. For example in most Pentecostal churches in Africa the ladies and men sit separated; ladies on one side of the church men on the other. Now is that wrong? No, but if it is done thinking it will get you to God, yes. In most Pentecostal churches in Eastern Europe and many Apostolic churches in the States ladies must wear a doily or some head covering. They get this from the Bible and adhere to it as the Gospel. Is this wrong? No it is an optional, but it becomes wrong when another lady comes into the church who is uncovered and is shunned. I remember when I first went to Moldova I was given the ground rules: to minister within the city you must wear a coat and tie, but if you are outside the city you need only a coat. Except for those churches where you cannot wear a tie because the point of the tie points down to hell. The problem is we have made the optionals absolutes and the absolutes optionals. We have made the major things of God minor and the minor things of God major and in doing so we bring another Jesus to the church and to the world. They have distorted the word of God and now they have a new Jesus to save them from their sins, but Paul in 1 Corinthians tells us if we do this we will have to “well bear with him.” In other words we will have to put up with or deal with this deception on our own and never receive the intent of God’s wholesomeness, wellness, and grace.

We see this deception and confession with the beloved John the Baptist and John’s disciples. In the Gospel of John we read, “After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 23And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24For John was not yet cast into prison.” (John 3:22-24) To whom was John baptizing? Jesus was already on the scene and had already started His ministry. Why did not John the Baptist join Jesus? After all he recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the Holy and anointed One. Do you know even to today there are disciples of John in Israel still baptizing? In spite of John’s deep and insightful revelation of who Jesus is (as seen in verses 27-36) John was sharing another Jesus. Not the one before the people’s eyes, but one that he made up from a prior revelation of God. We see this deception and confusion again in Matthew when John was in prison, “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2) Did you know there often was a great conflict between Jesus and His disciples and John the Baptist and his disciples and the people. The people were often confused to who they should follow. For example, “Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.” (John 3:25-26) This is why Jesus had to put John in a place (prison) where there was not a lot of water to baptize people. So too if we bring another Jesus to people in the world God will put us in a place where we cannot do any more damage to the Body of Christ. Make no mistake my friend God will not allow us to keep messing things up; He has paid a great price for the redemption of the Body of Christ (His only begotten Son) and He will not lay this sacrifice aside for any of man’s foolishness and religious practices, no matter how well intended. God will be longsuffering (and hopes for a change in our thoughts and behavior), but like Jesus was with John the Baptist there will come a time when His patience conflicts with His plan and His correction is made. Take heed my friend. One of Paul’s main themes in all of his writings is, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthian 1:12) These words will ring true and sure in our heart and lives today if we bring another Jesus before the people, a Jesus that is not found in the Bible, another Jesus, a Jesus that has been invented by our ambitions, our plans, and our misapplication of the word of God, a Jesus that has no power and no ability to save us from our sins. This is the Jesus I see today in most churches. And sadly this is the Jesus the world sees. No wonder the world is confused and hoping for help, but can only be helped by the real Jesus as presented by the word of God and by those people who really love Him.

Many today are waiting for Jesus to come back to earth, now I believe He will not because of what I see in the news on TV or what the guessers on Christian TV says, but because the Bible says so. If the Bible says it then it will happen, but most people in the world expect Jesus (when He comes back) to be the weak defenseless babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying a manger, but He will not. When Jesus comes back He will be THE (one and only) conquering King of Kings and Lord of Lords in all power and glory with a sword of righteousness to judge the nations and all souls. John gives us a fore clue, “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:14) Karen always says, Jesus is coming back to kick our butts. Jesus will not be the savior of the world in all of His meek and lowly manner oh no, Jesus will, “smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” How can the people of the world see this Jesus as a conquering King, “to rule with a iron rod” when every year around the 25th of December Jesus get’s to be born and then over what we call Easter (translated as “passover” in the Bible) we get to kill Him. But that is not who Jesus is today, oh no my friend Jesus is (for those who honor, serve, and love Him) Lord, ruler, and master of our lives. He desires to sit on the throne of our hearts to rule and reign over our lives, but who wants to have a ruler over them when they can be the captain of their own ship, do what they want to do. Well, in God you cannot do and say what you want to say and do. If we desire to walk in the ways of God so that He can share His heart with us, we must do and say only those things the Father wants us to do and say. We must restrict our lives to only those things that are found in the Bible. This doctrine of liberty and freedom in God is from the pits of hell; there is no freedom and liberty in God, only the limitations and restrictions of God’s word and in them is fulfillment and completion. Liberty and freedom lead us out of God’s way to our way. Isaiah said, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) What way was that? The way we wanted to go and not the way God wanted us to go. We must preach and teach only those things in the Bible not those things we think are needed to be shared. When I pastored I was so tempted at times to preach against sin I personally knew that was moving in lives in our church, but I also knew the Holy Spirit knew far greater than I how to reach minds and hearts. When we preach and teach the word of God the power of the Holy Spirit is released to do the work of God in our lives. But when we teach and preach the latest self-help, 12 step, Christian fad from the latest Christian best-seller we release the spirit of the world. Just look at the deception of the world from preachers and teachers like: T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Paula White, Joyce Meyers, others, and from the self-proclaimed so called spiritual people like Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Phil has done in the lives of many Christians. It seems every other month these charlatans have a new book out for a donation to their ministry or to be sold for great profit in Christian books stores. Now I am a writer, I have written three books, and I know how long it takes to write a book and my friend it takes much longer than 30 or so days. For the truth to be known most if not all of the “big time” TV celebrity preachers and teachers get books from ghost writers and they put their names on the work, shameful on both parties. When we preach or teach anything (other than from the word of God) we are preaching and teaching another Jesus. We must get back to the word of God and nothing else! Back in 1996 Charles Haun (my teacher) gave me some of the greatest advice and guidance I have ever heard when we last talked on earth, “just give them Jesus” he said. Written by David Stahl

GRACE AND TRUTH

Jesus is full of grace and truth. The Gospel of John and 1 John begins very similar in words and thoughts, Jesus becoming flesh and dwelling among us. I like the 1 John version, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:14-17)

As I study the Scriptures one thing that has always fascinated me is those verses that have a run (two or more words) we must meet to be able to walk in the truth the Holy Spirit is expressing. For example in Matthew 6:33, “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” It is one thing to seek the kingdom of God (in man’s perspective in God’s kingdom we can get a job and make money, even manipulate and control people), but it is a different thing all together to seek His righteousness. Not much glory, power, and authority in this, but death to our self-seeking, selfish, fleshly desires which is the requirement to having God’s righteousness. Or “the LORD killeth and maketh alive” in 1 Samuel 2:6. Or in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity.” Two things I have learned while studying the Bible; words matter and the order of these words matter more. Usually the last word in the run has been particularly ordered by the Holy Spirit highlighting the greater importance. So too here in our text, the Scriptures says, Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” Jesus was “full” there was no room for anything else in Jesus only grace and truth. There is a spiritual principle moving here; to be full of something we must empty ourselves of other things to make room. So too in our lives we are to be full of grace and truth, but to be able to be full of grace and truth we first empty ourselves of all of our worldly desires, hopes, and ambitions. Oh yes, believe it or not my friend we are to be like Jesus here, we too are to be full of (both) grace and truth. Now this is God’s intention for our lives (us being full of grace and truth), but if it never comes to pass in our lives it is not because God has made it so oh no, it will happen because we have chosen to move in obedience to God’s intention for our lives. God has given us the power to decide in these eternal matters of the heart. God really has no say (it is His intention He wants to see it happen), but whether it happens or not is up to us. Now if we are only full of grace we will not be able to judge righteous judgment and if we are only full of truth we will not be able to express love to others as Jesus did. The end results in all we do for God and man must be love out of a genuine concern for their spiritual and physical well-being.

We have received grace in our lives because Jesus first gave grace and now we can give grace to others. God saves us from our sins so that we can save others; not from their sins only God can do this, but we can save our friends from doctrines that do not line up with the Bible, wrong choices and decisions they have made, and etc. If we see a friend (or anyone for that matter) in a burning building would we not do all we could to save him from the fire? Yes of course, well how about eternal things? How much more should we be concerned for our friends and acquaintances to tell them the truth? But the main point here is unless we receive grace from God we will never be able to give grace to man. A man cannot give what he does not have. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are we saved through faith,” now this is the process – salvation through faith, but how about the other word Jesus was full of – truth? We must never sacrifice grace for truth and we must never sacrifice truth for grace. Jesus was full (and we are to be also) at all times of both. When sharing the hard truths of God’s word it was done in grace. Karen always tells me I can tell people almost anything, but whether it is received or not often depends on how I am saying it. We must never sugar coat the truth, but at the same time we are not to cram that last bit of truth down someone’s throat. I hear many Christians say they have a great desire to know God, but they run from conference to conference, church to church, from the latest Christian movement to the next, from one mighty and anointed song to the next when all they have to do is, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Believe it or not we do not have to do all that running around to know God all we have to do is take a good long look at Jesus, because He is like the Father, “full of grace and truth.” Unless we can walk in the truth of God’s word we will never be able to give truth. Remember a man cannot give what he does not have. The best we will be able to do is judge situations and circumstances out of our experiences and our sin sick present heart condition. The basis for our judgment will not be grace and truth, but presumption and religion that sounds good, smells good, feels good, but in the end if not grace and truth and will lead to destruction and death. Still with that being said we still must judge as Jesus judged, He is counting on us to give righteous judgment in the earth. If not His children who then will be able to give righteous judgment? In Matthew Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5) Jesus was not telling them not to judge situation and circumstances in their lives and others; the Scriptures are full of verses that encourage us to judge, but He was telling these “hypocrites” not to judge until they can clearly see from God’s perspective and out from a Godly heart condition. There is a lot of trash goes on in the church today because many Christians fail to hold people accountable to the Godly standards of the Bible all because they do not want to judge. Well my friend this is just flat wrong we must stand up from integrity, honor, and truth. We must call a snake a snake when we see it. To do otherwise just speaks of our lack of integrity (what God is looking for in His children more than anything), not having a Godly character, and no concern for the truth of the word of God. We seem to be quick today to share the feelings of our brothers and sisters that have stumbled out of the way and gotten off track not wanting to offend, but what does it profit someone to think well of you as they are going further and further away from God. Yes, my Baptist friends we can lose our salvation if we willfully choose to turn our back on God. If we turn our heads and look the other way to things that are not consistent with the word of God (sin) we are not extending grace, oh no, we are committing sin. If I am getting off track I would hope I have friends who care enough about me and my soul to come to me (in humility and grace) and share their concerns, then leave their words and softy heart at my feet so that I can inspect my life (before God) through their observations. But that is not what usually happens. Usually we beat our brothers and sisters over the head with our words and leave them bruised and bleeding because of our callous heart. Now I have experienced both ways and the second format does not work. We must be full of truth at all times and extend grace after the judgment is rendered. Remember one cannot extend grace until after the judgment. It is after judgment (be in our lives or others) has been rendered that grace or punishment is executed. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; we all are deserving of hell’s fire and an eternal death the judgment has already been made, God has spoken, but for Jesus through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary grace has been extended to a sinner such as I. Grace for grace now I can give grace.

In church we are told to give God praise from the bottom of our heart, but how can we do that if our heart has never been changed by the power of God? And for our heart to be changed we first must come to a place of self-judgment about our heart condition by the Holy Spirit. And then allow God to begin to work on our heart through His dealings and judgments. Singing songs will not do it, working for God all the days of our lives will not do it, attending church all the days of our lives will not do it, but coming to a honest place of self-reflection of our ungodly heart condition before God and then in obedience submitting our will (as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane) to Him so He can work on us as a lump of clay on the wedging board of life. We must come to an understanding of what sin has wrought in our lives and it must devastate us for us to really have a true conversion. Sadly many people have walked the aisle (some repetitively) repeat “the sinner’s prayer” (which is found nowhere in the Bible) and go off about their way thinking the work of God was done in their heart, well my friend they are no more saved than Grimme our boxer dog. Believing or thinking so does not make it so. I can sit in a garage all day and believe or think I am a car, but that will never make me a car. There must be more to our conversion. There must be conviction from the Holy Spirit, there must be “Godly sorrow,” there must be great sadness and yes even tears, we must feel bad, even be devastated for our past actions to be birthed from above. If not there has not been much of a work done in our heart, thus there will not be much work done in our lives. Paul helps us again here, “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10) Did you get the thought “not to be repented of?” What Paul is saying here unless there is “Godly sorrow” in our repentance we are doomed to repeat the wrong process over and over (as many do daily), but God has made a way to do it right the first time. Jesus died once for our sin and He expects; it is His intention for us to repent (about face, go the opposite way sin is going, stop sinning) once and then “grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ.”

You know we cannot measure the depth of sin nor can we measure the heights of salvation, but we can measure the change in our lives as we allow God to work in our lives; conforming us and transforming us more and more into the image and character of His precious Son Jesus Christ. We must be able to see God (and God alone) as the one who brings us from defeat into great victory. But unless we come to see the frank sin and short comings in our lives we will never be able to see Jesus “full of grace and truth.” We will never be able to give grace for grace to those lost and going to hell, and the greatest loss we will experience will be never (no never) becoming like Jesus the expressed image of the Father who too is full of grace and truth. Written by David Stahl

NOT OF THIS WORLD

The Scriptures are full of warnings. Warnings to us to take heed to our character what God is most concerned about. Warnings to us to take heed how we do things. Jesus told the disciples be careful how you hear, do we hear things with the right heart condition? All throughout the New Testament the Scriptures time and time again warns us not to be conformed to this world, but sadly most Christians today have not heeded this most critical warning. Brethren this is a very serious matter in our lives, but it seems we just ignore the Scriptures so that we can satisfy and fulfill our fleshly desires. Peter tells us, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” (1 Peter 2:9-11) James lets us know what being undefiled looks like, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) John really drives the point home when he said, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15-16) Paul again hits the heart of the matter, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) And Jesus (our example) also told us to take heed to ourselves in this area, maybe His words is the reason we fail to heed. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:18-19) With all of these verses (and many more) why do we (now I used a pronoun here so I could include myself) still have an appetite for the garbage of this world? The Bible tells us we are to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), well how can we have the mind of Christ if we keep filling our mind up with the cares and news of the day? The Bible instructs us to be separated from the world, it says we are a royal priesthood unto the LORD, we are a called out of the world Body of Believers, and a chosen generation unto God, but from what we see and hear (as Karen and I travel) no difference in the lives of most Christians we meet than those in the world that defy the draw of the Holy Spirit and shake their fist in defiance at God’s word. My friend our earthly hungers and thirst for the things of the world drives us out of God. Oh LORD please forgive us and strengthen us in the inward man so that we will be able to overcome in such areas.

Now one should expect those in the world not to know the truth of the word of God, but my friend this article is not written to those in the world as much as it is written to those in the church. The big saying now is the LORD looks on the heart so it does not matter what we do, what we wear or what we look like, well my friend this is just a bold face lie to satisfy our flesh. God is very concerned how we act, what we say, and what we look like make no mistake. Yes it is true God does look at the heart, but He also knows if there has truly been a change of heart then there will be a change in the way we talk, look, and act. Now we cannot change our self; as we cannot save our self, but God can save and change us as we allow Him to work in our lives, through His dealings and judgments in our lives. There is an old saying that says: if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and sounds like a duck it probably is not a chicken. So too in God, if it looks like the world and walks like the world and sounds like the world it probably is not a Christian.

As we travel around the States we cannot believe all of the Youth Pastors with body piercing (ears and face) and tattoos. Whatever happened to our body is not ours it is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Today Youth Pastors mark their bodies with sticks of metal and paint because they think they will appear “cool” to the youth in the church; wrongly thinking somehow the kids will be able to relate to them better, well this is just plain foolishness. This is nothing more than direct disobedience and rebellion to God’s word while satisfying their flesh. Shame on those Youth Pastors who do this, repent and stop leading the youth of your church out of God’s way and to hell. If you want to go to Hell so be it, but please do not deceive a young person into going. Another area is fashion. We cannot believe the lack of modesty in most churches. Please ladies cover your body. Men you do not need to wear tight pants to show off your manhood, it is a shame before God. We are not to sport the latest fashions in and out of church. We are to be well dressed and modest in taste and style. We are not to dress like the world, remember if the world is going after something God is not. Another area is technology. We cannot believe how Christians go after technology (especially during preaching) having to have the latest electronic distraction the world is selling. Old, but workable in God is okay. I have said this for years and will say it again the more we go after technology the less of God will be in us. Technology drives our spirit. It separates us from the day-to- day contact with people who need to know about a Savior who can save them from their sins. It is flashy, God is not. It often does not work, God does. I do not even like microphones, why because often they can be more transforming than the Holy Spirit. Funny how when you get one in your hand suddenly you think you are someone you are not. Another area is politics. I cannot believe how the Body of Christ is so fractured and divided out along political lines. Heaven will not be separated by Democratic, Independents, or Republicans. God has placed His Body in the moral high ground and when we get involved with the political wrangling of the day we willfully pull ourselves out of the Spiritual place God has placed us. Heaven will not be separated out by color, yet we find Sunday between 9 and 12 is the most segregated time in America. Sadly, most black churches support the radicalized social justice movement of collective salvation instead of individual salvation as the Bible teaches while most white churches are trying to make as much money as they can so they can build bigger buildings, but Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (Matthew 18:10) not to fight for social justice or to make money. The more the church of today (world-wide) goes after money and human rights the less they will be concerned about the lost. I must also mention you cannot be a Democrat and be a Christian knowing the position the Democratic Party takes on abortion, lesbians, sodomy, and gay marriage. I owe no allegiance to any political party I am a Christian, but one thing for sure if you vote and you call yourself a Christian you must vote the Bible if not you are a liar and the truth is not in you. Today I see the church dithering as they play politics, titillating with the excitement of control and power as souls are being lost for all eternity.

Not being of this world means we are not to have a favorite TV program. Most Christians can tell you what is going on with American Idol or their favorite TV program, but cannot tell you what their pastor preached on last Sunday. We are not to have a favorite sports team. Most Christians are so plugged into sports: basketball, football, baseball, you name it. Why, the local Baptist Churches in town on the night of the Super Bowl close down services at their churches, but meet at the Baptist Association and host a Super Bowl party under the guise of evangelism. The church does a lot of deception with the world’s business under the banner of evangelism. Who are they trying to kid? Please do not sit there and try to convince me that the LORD will get some time during the game or at half time. They should be ashamed of themselves for selling out to the world. At least come clean and admits it, be honest with yourselves and the community we will have no services tonight at our churches because we love the Super Bowl and our denomination more than we do Jesus. Often we are so plugged into the world we could care less. Now I know I am taking on some of the unspoken taboos of the church and even going after some religious sacred cows, but these things need to be said. We are not to have a favorite song and that can include Christian songs. Where in the Gospels did Jesus and the disciples sing? Paul talks about making melody in our hearts not in church where our flesh can get puffed up. Why do we spend so much time singing (with amplified instruments, lights, smoke, flags, and more) and money on instruments? In some churches one would think they were at a worldly rock concert. Music, in most cases, is a great distraction to the flow of the Spirit of God. Most churches have adopted worldly formats that serve to enhance the attendance gimmicks (like Super Bowl parties), emotional manipulation, indoctrination, and in some cases out right propaganda. Now I do believe the hymns are okay and acceptable to God because they were birthed out of a genuine love and need for God, birthed out of great loss, despair, and a desire for Him, but look what we have today (where are the song books) in most churches a selfish, self-seeking selection of songs telling God to come and bless us. The focus is not about us going to God, but about God coming to us and giving us what we want. The focus is not on the blood of Jesus or the message of the Cross, but on the gifts and blessings of God. We even have contemporary music that supports the Christian Dove Awards? How much more worldly can you get? Are you kidding me an awards show like the world has that exalts the flesh and glorifies man and his achievements? Oh no my friend most churches have sold out to the worldly Hollywood style singers and movie makers while covering their deception with a religious veneer to sell an ungodly lie to the people. Be not deceived God is not mocked a day is coming where the truth will be known. Why during the altar call do the musicians get up secretly while everyone else is to have their eyes closed and head bowed? They sneak to their instruments to set the mood for manipulation and brow beating by the pastor which makes up for the lack of Holy Spirit convicting power in their message, this my friend ought not to be. Make no mistake my friend when the Holy Spirit is really dealing with someone’s heart they will not need the pastor to make them feel bad, oh no they will run with lightening speed to the open arms of Jesus. And why always the altar? Can not the Holy Spirit reach someone in their seat or in their bed at night? Why is there always a requirement to have people come to the altar? Oh I see it must be a public confession of accepting the LORD, well I am not so sure about that my friend God is every where is He not? I believe verses like, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) have been hi-jacked and twisted to manipulate people to make an open and public show of an inward work of the heart. Here Jesus is not talking about “walking the aisle,” but living their lives for God before men on a daily basis. If you have to convince someone they need the LORD they do not really want Him. I will even go further; this public display of “walking the aisle” sometimes is more about the pastor’s ego (I know I have done altar calls) being mighty and anointed, but not so my friend we cannot save our self, it is the Holy Spirit who draws, and it is God who saves no matter where we are. Please do not be deceived into making a public display to please man. God is after the inward work of the heart not a public display of religion. I have found those who “walk the aisle” out of guilt are doing it because they have been manipulated by words and do not really feel in their heart a genuine need and sense of repentance. Without this holy work of God in their lives they will play the part of a Christian, do and say all of the right things, but the Godly sorrow that leads to real repentance and the inward cleansing of the soul will be far from the truth in their lives. Why do pastors use the “cool” terminology, hip phrases, and hand gestures of today or why do they dress in special clothing with monograms or their ministry name on their shirts. Now please do not get me started on diamond rings, gold necklaces, and $500 suits. If we do and wear these things we are trying to win people to a worldly Christ. Christ was not “cool,” He was lowly in Spirit. Isaiah tells us, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:2-3) Did you get that, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:” He was a man of sorrows not the life of the party. Pastors who use “hip” language think it will endear them to the people, but God does not care if you are fond of your pastor or if he is fond of you, but God is concerned if you are obedient to His words. Our best in God is on the other side of our obedience to Him. This is the loss in disobedience; missing out on God’s best for our lives and settling for something else. I have a good friend and great Bible teacher who is offended at me, sadly God told me greater revelation for him is waiting on the other side of his ability to restore fellowship with me. God is not into division among the brethren and always desires reconciliation. It seems we Christians are so concerned about the economy, our pay checks, and retirement plans. Whatever happened to God being able to take care of us? Can God take care of the birds? Yes! How about us?

Do not kid yourself we will never be able to overcome the lustful desires of our flesh and Satan if we first do not overcome our desire for the world. And my friend I am speaking from first-hand knowledge. Remember our testimony is not what we say about our self, but what other people see and what they hear come out our mouth. In revelation John shares these words, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11) “The words of their testimony” was not what they said in some testimony service, but what the other folks in town was saying about them. They “overcame,” their lives were an open testimony before the world. Their lives testified before the world of the power of God and His ability to keep them. Make no mistake my friend those in the world and God know who are in Christ Jesus and who is in the world.